The Na­tion­al Joint Ac­tion Com­mit­tee com­mem­o­rat­ed the 56th an­niver­sary of the 1970 Black Pow­er Rev­o­lu­tion yes­ter­day, April 21, by call­ing on the na­tion to re­flect on those events and work to­wards a new and just so­ci­ety.

In a state­ment is­sued, NJAC said 56 years ago, on April 21, 1970, the then gov­ern­ment de­clared a state of emer­gency and im­pris­oned the lead­ers of NJAC, which in­clud­ed the late Makan­dal Daa­ga and Khafra Kam­bon.

NJAC, which was formed in 1969, to fight against in­equal­i­ty, racial dis­crim­i­na­tion, and for­eign own­er­ship of busi­ness­es, said the Rev­o­lu­tion of 1970 was an ef­fort to cre­ate a new spir­it and a new so­ci­ety so that peo­ple could live in true hap­pi­ness, love and uni­ty, to­wards build­ing a great na­tion. It said it was a rev­o­lu­tion that brought new hope to the na­tion. It said the so­ci­ety had un­der­gone a trans­for­ma­tion, as love pre­vailed through­out the na­tion and peo­ple be­gan to re­fer to each oth­er as broth­er and sis­ter. NJAC said this led to an un­prece­dent­ed 56 per cent de­crease in crime with­in the coun­try.

But, NJAC said in the wake of re­cent ex­treme acts of vi­o­lence, in one case re­sult­ing in the bru­tal mur­der of four peo­ple, in­clud­ing a child and in an­oth­er, a po­lice­woman on du­ty in a sta­tion, NJAC has called on the na­tion to re­flect on the pe­ri­od of the Rev­o­lu­tion of 1970.

NJAC has called on cit­i­zens to work to­wards re­al­is­ing the dream of a new and just so­ci­ety, based on prin­ci­ples and val­ues that el­e­vate the hu­man spir­it.